Man ‘sets teacher ablaze’ in front of horrified students

A 50-year-old government school teacher was allegedly set ablaze by a man who barged into her classroom on Wednesday in Shambaiahna Palya, near Bangalore, according to media reports.

While some reports said the man was her business partner, The Hindu said he was the woman’s husband. The victim, identified as KG Sunanda, was taken to a private hospital where she was undergoing treatment for burns over 40% of her body.

The man, Renukananda, stormed into the classroom and asked the students to leave as he wanted to speak to the teacher. The Times of India quoted a student as saying, “Around 2 pm, a man entered the classroom and shouted at the teacher, and they argued for a while. The teacher asked him to leave the room. He opened a bottle and poured [some] liquid on her. He struck a match and set her on fire. We were helpless and screamed.”

School headmaster M Shivanna, who was teaching a class in an adjacent classroom, told The Hindu, “The moment I heard her screams, I ran out of my classroom and saw Renukananda running out of the school towards his parked car. I entered the classroom and saw Ms. Sunanda engulfed in flames.”